To think British maternity care must be among the worst in the developed world?

[ForestGoblin]

Nurses refusing to watch newborns when a mum needs to poo??? Nurses have got a professional and legal obligation to support patients to receive adequate personal care (not being compelled to poo yourself has got to be rung one of meeting that obligation).

Friends who have given birth in Ireland, france, south Korea, Switzerland were all given support to sleep, recover, be recognised as an injured person in need of recovery time.

British nurses trick new mothers into thinking they can't leave their babies for a minute on a bloody hospital ward (even when they've got numb legs).

Rise up, damnit!

It didn't even occur to me to ask someone to watch my baby whilst I showered and weed... They can't watch thousands of babies everytime someone needs the loo they have a job to do...

Ah yes of course. Let’s blame fat women for poor maternity care too.

The care I had wasn’t great but the midwives themselves were kind to me. Just massively understaffed. Although my drugs chart was lost and so I couldn’t have any pain relief on the day after my c section until a dr signed it off again. I was in agony with the c section, the after pains when feeding and the trapped wind. That was quite grim. I can’t fault the midwives themselves though, the nhs in general is just completely fucked.

You don't actually expect them to help do you,don't you know they've got degrees now and that's beneath them. Besides they're understaffed because they're taking 6 months sick leave every year,well my nursing friends do and have done for 20+ years, they just cannot get sacked,it's incredulous. If they suddenly all developed a work ethic or didn't get sick pay, the NHS staffing problem would be solved overnight.
I wouldn't hold my breath though, apparently a work ethic is a far right concept.

It could be solved very quickly. The staff shortage in this instance is low level or partners wouldn’t be able to fill the gap. More healthcare assistants to bring food, help women to the loo, hand them the baby after a C section would cost a drop in the ocean in the great scheme of things. It’s absolutely appalling that maternity services 50 years ago were gold standard compared with now.

I also had a difficult and traumatic birth throughout which I had wonderful care and thorough aftercare. Had a scan this week six months later to check all healed. You rang a bell on the ward and a midwife was there within two minutes, everyone was lovely, food was nice. My only gripe was with the infant feeding team who were of very little help and difficult to get hold of

It’s the whole set up though. It’s not expecting midwives to do everything but having a system that is sensible.
The hostess bringing tea and food is a great idea and would be a low paid role.
I did 2 weeks as an inpatient after surgery Busy ward. As well as Drs and nurses they had a lady who took food orders and brought food to room. The person I remember most was Hugo, I was vulnerable with a tracheotomy in, couldn’t speak but he’d clear food trays and ask if you wanted tea. I have no idea of his official title, I think he was a student working pt but someone checking and offering tea or water made a huge difference to me.

I can't fault the care I recieved from the midwives and support staff. They took my baby in the early hours when she wouldn't settle and let me sleep, they were amazing with helping me breast feed and post c section helped as much as I needed. I understand this isn't what everyone will have recieved but I think the care will be a very individual experience. This was during covid regulations and I had no other support in the ward.

Its the reason I will never have another child in the UK, unless I have private healthcare.

Pretty sure I have trauma from the whole experience and it has put me off ever doing it again. And that is in large part due to the care I received.

To be fair, the doctors were incredible but everything else was shocking, especially the bullying attitude of the midwives. I have never met such nasty people in my life (not all of them but wow).

I had my DC in the 1990s and on our hospital list was bath cleaner and cloth as the bathrooms on the post-natal ward were filthy (this was central London). The post-natal care wasn't great then and it seems that not much has changed in all these years.

I had a pph and an epi after DS, a baby with a tongue tie, and couldn’t get up at all without collapsing. Stayed in hospital for a week. Received no help at all except from the cleaners who would grab me a cup of tea in the morning and ensure my water jug was refilled. I was expected to drag DS’ bassinet everywhere but it didn’t fit into the toilet - so I had to leave the door open so he wasn’t out of sight ( they told me they had cases where people had walked in and just tried to steal babies, but I noticed that white mothers weren’t expected to do this - so there was definitely a racial element. Milton Keynes Hospital in case anyone’s interested - the racial issues they had a few years ago that resulted in maternal deathshaven’t really resolved).

The only person who knew who were were talking about breastfeeding wise were the volunteers but they visited twice a week. One lady kindly came after work to support me everyday until I could hire a breastfeeding consultant.

On top of all that male partners were allowed to stay in chairs next to mothers and so I didn’t even get any sleep - many would be on phones until late at night, steal my armchair while I was asleep and try to take photos without taking into account the state of the people around them.

DD (nearly 8 at the time) wasn’t allowed onto the ward due to ‘infection risk’ - which was fair enough - but male partners were allowed to walk in and out as if they owned the place. It was a shit show and I deeply regret not taking up mil’s offer to have my son at a top Mumbai hospital.

Everyone assuming babies are well - just leave them while you shower, walk to food etc. I was on a normal ward with a jaundiced baby in an incubator and tube fed. I couldn’t leave her.
It’s not as simple as poorly baby nicu v healthy baby ward.

Are all maternity wards really secure though? My babies weren't tagged, and although you had to buzz in, anyone could leave freely. 8 beds in a ward, so 8 mothers, 8 partners plus whoever else was visiting. It really didn't feel like a safe place to leave a baby unattended, or even get changed or breastfeed in privacy.

I recently gave birth and midwives would watch my baby whilst I went to the toilet (I would shower in the evening before DP had to leave the ward). Maybe it depends on the midwives on your ward because some I felt like I could ask, and others I didn't feel comfortable around (the judgy types). The US is worse for maternity and post natal care.

I gave birth in London near the time of the Northwick Park scandal and as I recall all the women who died were not white.

I was a patient of Northwick Park 40 years ago (as a child) and it was dire then. Looking at the stats (2014), the local area has a population that's 65% Asian and 11% black by population. So it's not entirely surprising that certain ethnicities were unduly affected.

There was a point where they shipped off planned c-sections to the Portland as it was that unsafe. (Slightly ironic given that the Portland doesn't have any NHS provision unlike St Mary's, UCL and Queen Charlotte's).

I think for a long while we were brainwashed (like North Koreans) into believing the nhs was this amazing thing.
I haven't had any trouble with nurses personally. There weren't any on the maternity wards when I have birth, just HCA bringing you water. The only time a nurse came was on discharge.

Nurses were however great when my third was hospitalised after about 10 doctors ignored my newborn baby was dying. They were a god send to us.
Obviously on the maternity ward they just don't allocate nurses. I think most of the 'nursing' these days is done by HCA who are now doing what nurses used to do back in the 70's and now the nurses are going what they doctors used to do.

No. It is an assault. Quite a serious one. If it happened to me I would also sue for civil damages. But 999 is free. "I'm in x hospital in x town/city, I've just been sexually assaulted by a staff member on ward y, please send help."

And I tell you what - it wouldn't happen to anyone else after that.

No and nor would anyone be getting breastfeeding support as the midwives and trusts would be so terrified of litigation.

Absolutely this.

Lack of basic care must cost more in long run. Like the example of poster fainting due to lack of food and then dr not wanting to discharge - easily ends up in another nights stay. I’ve had observations increased (so more nurse time) when all I needed was a hot drink/food to get my bp up.

That's like saying no one would get a smear test if doctors had to take care to ask for consent.

If they bruise you on your tit they have assaulted you. It's not a nuance.

I hated the fact that just after having a baby you were made to walk to the nursing station to get your food.
There were men allowed to get for there partners though and the woman who are at there most vulnerable having to stand there in a queue waiting to be served with men they have never met while probably feeling not great.
It made me not want to go and get food tbh.
And expecting you to watch your baby at the same time.

My first was born in 2001 and even though the hospital was in disrepair the staff had so much more time, they would take babies if you needed a shower or needed just an hour to rest.

I remember waking up one morning in the dark, ridiculously hot prison ward on the fifth day and telling my newborn baby, we are out come hell or high water. I had to give him formula, reach the weight needed and get the hell out.

They actually put me on antidepressants two days after birth and moved me to a room with windows (thank god for that saint of a doctor)

It felt like the final scene of midnight express when I left that hospital (London). This was one of the top teaching hospitals in the UK.

My hospital had care assistants, different staff to bring the food etc. Different people doing the drug rounds. Still wasn’t enough and my care was still neglectful. Not goint to be solved by November though is it, which is why I’m demanding that my husband there.